Echo POV
I rewound the footage from several days ago and watched as a young woman walked up to the hospital room that I'd seen Nyx and Clarke being carried into and delivered a basket of what I assumed to be food. There was an exchange of words and when the girl turned around, I froze the image and zoomed in on her face. Clarke had called her Cora and when I saw that scar that that crossed her mouth, I was blown away that it could be my Cora. My sister. That she was alive somehow after all these years. Then I went to another recording that showed the interior of a house's dining room. The table was full and I focused on the young woman that had the same name as my sister and the same scar. In came three women, two of them carrying a large cake between them and placed it in front of her. A enthusiastic rendition of Happy Birthday was sung and when everyone cheered and clapped as she stood up and bowed to everyone, I knew. I knew it was my Cora. My wonderful, sweet, innocent baby sister.
She had survived the attack on our group and wound up exactly where we had been headed over 15 years ago. She had been alive and safe all these years, while I was raised by the Bear Queen. I watched those clips over and over again, memorizing everything about her. I felt tears fall down my face and absently wiped them away.
I berated myself, I wasn't supposed to cry. It showed weakness. I wasn't weak. I couldn't afford to be weak. The weak made mistakes. The weak died at the hands of their enemies. The Forest Pack was my enemy. That was what I was taught. That was what I was beaten into believing. That was my purpose. My reason for living. Kill Lexa and Nyx and the Ice Pack will finally be victorious. I imagined myself bringing King Roan the heads of his greatest enemies, showing him that I was indeed worthy of being a member of the Ice Pack. That I had finally succeeded.
I sighed as I let that dream fade and returned my focus back to the camp. I had somehow lost the camera that was outside Nyx's hospital room, but she'd actually left the day before. Instead, I switched to the camera that gave me a view of the werewolves pack house. I watched as several women walked out of the house and stood around as the snow fell around them. They seemed to be saying goodbye and then three of them moved away and climbed into a very purple buggy. There was a transport truck that people were climbing into the back. When no one else climbed into the truck, they left the gate and headed out of town. From the looks of it, it looked like Lexa was heading back to Clifton. To do what, I didn't know. Three women stood in front of the entrance and two of them seemed to be comforting the third. They went back inside, I followed them through the house, camera to camera, until they settled back into the kitchen where three other people were gathered. I turned up the volume and listened.
"They're on their way then," a girl said.
"Yeah, they should reach the mansion just after nightfall as long as the roads stay clear," one of the women said.
"And Scarlett?"
"She'll spend the night there and head home first thing in the morning."
"Are you sure it's safe enough for her to travel on her own?"
"I'm hoping Lexa will convince her of letting a team escort her home," Nyx said.
I zoomed in on Nyx and was surprised that she was barely recognizable now. I wondered briefly what had caused her to lose so much weight but put the thought aside as the conversation continued.
Nyx looked over at the woman I didn't know and said, "Dani, take them down to the training room, please. I need to speak with Clarke alone."
I heard the three at the table groan, but they all got up to leave. Dani gave Nyx a look and Nyx gave a shake of her head.
"Fine, but you owe me," Dani said and followed the trio out of the kitchen.
When she was sure that they were out of earshot, Nyx approached Clarke and laid a hand on her arm. Clarke immediately crumbled against her and she wrapped her arms around Clarke in a comforting manner. I heard weeping and realized it was coming from Clarke.
"It's alright, niron," Nyx said as she rubbed Clarke's back, soothing her. "You'll see her again."
"I know that," Clarke said, voice muffled by Nyx's chest. "I just didn't know that there would be such a huge void in my chest as soon as she left."
Nyx chuckled and said, "The power of the bond, especially a lifebond, makes you crave to be around each other. To be in the same room, or touching, or lovemaking. It's like when you're not touching your other lifemate or bondmate, you immediately feel the loss and are felt drawn to bring them back. You have to constantly remind yourself that they'll come back to you or that you'll see them again. It can be hard to control sometimes, but once you start believing what you tell yourself, you gain control over it. All you have to do to reconnect yourself to the others, is search for the bonds within you and you'll feel them. Even for you, you can send an emotion down the bond and they'll feel it."
That set me back a bit to find out that Clarke was bonded to Lexa and from the sounds of it were Lifemates. I'd heard of them before, but they were non-existent in the Ice Pack. Even bondmates were extremely rare, maybe 1 in 200 pairings were bondmates.
"How do you know so much about bonds and lifemates," Clarke asked, returning my attention to them.
"We looked up the information when we felt the bond for the first time. Confused the fuck out of us when we found out that we could feel each other and really didn't like it when we were separated. It was Lexa's mom that told us that we'd bonded with one another and then questioned us about how we became bonded. That was not a fun conversation to have, especially since it was our first time ever having sex."
"You mean the first time having sex with each other?"
Nyx shook her head and replied, "No, it was our first time having sex period. Very uncomfortable to be stared down by de Pakstoka and then have her call in our mothers to let them know. Mom gave me a thorough tongue lashing for it. Lexa and Dani didn't fare well either. We couldn't even disappear without one of them hunting us down."
"Wait, I thought de Pakstoka was Lexa?"
"We were fourteen, Lexa's mother was still pack leader at the time."
"Wait, seriously fourteen? Jesus."
Nyx laughed and replied, "We fell in love with one another when we were twelve. It was just a natural progression."
"And I take it, that was when you started having lady callers?"
"Ahem. Yeah. It was like I gave off a strong pheromone that just drew them to me. I think I spent more time turning women down than accepting their proposals. It was quite tiresome, really."
Clarke laughed, "I don't think I've ever heard of you saying that pursuit was tiresome."
Nyx laughed, "I'd rather do the pursuing than be the one that's pursued."
"Oh, really," she said mischievously.
"Yes, most definitely," she replied and brought her head down and kissed her.
I watched as Clarke seemed to meld into Nyx and when I saw that it was turning into something more, I quickly turned the tablet off in disgust. I couldn't understand how someone could crave sex with another person. They hurt you. They beat you. They forced themselves on you. Who would want that. Only a sadomasochist would want that. I shuddered at the thought and pushed it back into my mind before the memories could emerge.
"Ah, there you are," a woman's voice called out from the back of the cave.
I spun around and crouched with a knife in each hand. I watched as two people emerged, a woman and a man. They walked like they didn't have a care in the world and seemed to look at her with amused curiosity.
"Who are you? How'd you get in here," I demanded.
"That is just adorable," the man said and lounged against the wall of the cave. "Don't you agree, sister?"
The woman rolled her eyes and stared at her brother, "Please, Aiden, can't you just for once be serious?"
The man, Aiden, schooled his face to look more serious, but there was a twinkle in his eyes. I continued to watch them warily as the woman sat on a nearby rock.
She looked at me curiously even tilting her head a little, "You can relax, Echo. We're not here to turn you over or kill you."
"How do you know my name and you didn't answer my questions," I demanded again.
"I am Niylah and this is my brother Aiden," the woman said sweetly. "There's an entrance at the far back of the cave that you didn't ward. As to how I know your name, Mother told me all about you."
"Your mother?"
She shook her head, "Mother, not mother," she said, stressing the m and making it a capital M.
"And who is that?"
"Tsk, so distrustful," Aiden said from his spot.
Niylah looked over her shoulder and said, "What did you expect? She was raised by the Bear Queen, after all."
"How do you know that," I demanded, nearly growling.
She turned her attention back to me and replied, "As I told you, I was told all about you by Mother. By the way, that's Mother Earth to you."
I scoffed, "Impossible."
Aiden barked a laugh and moved closer, making my fingers flex over the hilts of my knives.
Niylah sighed and then said, "Mother wanted us to check on you. See how you were doing, especially since you've just seen your sister. She's 17 now, right?"
My eyes flicked over to the tablet and then settled back at her.
"That really is your sister, Echo. She survived and she's thriving. She's happy and she's safe."
"You lie," I growled out. "My sister died a long time ago when the Forest Pack attacked our group."
Aiden sighed and crouched down, drawing my gaze to him like a magnet, and said, "It wasn't the Forest Pack who attacked your group, sweetling. You've seen with your very eyes that the Bear Queen and her son don't take kindly to anyone trying to leave their territory."
I nodded slightly and trembled as I remembered the people that had been executed for trying to leave.
"Then why was I allowed to live?"
"Because you were useful to them. A werewolf that was ripe for training. To spy on the people they hate the most. To kill them."
I looked at him at shock, but I didn't see anything that would tell me he was lying. I tried to read his mind, but I was blocked. I growled at the block but didn't say anything.
"Now, that we have that established," Niylah said and I glanced over at her. "How are you faring? Learn anything interesting?"
"Why do you want to know? My life is of no concern of yours," I said, my voice deadly.
"It is a concern of Mother Earth's, Echo," she said, calmingly. "Your life is tied to those in the camp and as such your fate is as much their fate. Your wellbeing is important to Mother Earth. She needs reassurance that when the time comes, you will be able to complete your task."
"My task being to kill Lexa and Nyx?"
"Yes, and maybe Clarke if you can."
"Why is it so important that I kill them?"
"That is on a need to know and as of yet, you do not need to know," she said with a small smile.
That was not an answer I wanted to hear, but I eased from my crouch and sat down. I wanted to hear more.
"I'm fine," I said, finally answering her question.
"But lean. You're not eating enough."
"It's winter. The food is depleted from them hunting daily."
"Hmm. I think I can help you with that problem," she said thinking. "What have you been able to learn?"
"Learn?"
"Yes. You've been watching the camp for over over a month now. You must have learned something?"
I contemplated what she was asking and answered her with, "I know that there are people being held in the bunker. Humans, I think. That some of them were sick because something was killing them. If there are humans, they grossly outnumber the Apex. Something happened to Nyx that required her to be rushed to the hospital and is now hardly recognizable. I also believe that at least four of them are bonded with Nyx and that two of them, Lexa and Clarke, are lifemates. That's all I know."
"Hmm, you're lying, Echo," Aiden said quietly.
I turned and looked at him in surprise and said, "I'm not."
"Yes, you are. We know that there's a camera in the office. You overheard something, didn't you?"
I growled in frustration and said, "And what if I did?"
"Then you must share all."
I sighed and relented, "King Roan has a human slave that says he can get back into the Forest Pack territory and into Manassas to spy for him. He's stated that the humans in the bunker are his and he want's the town for himself and the rest of the humans."
Aiden frowned at the news and turned to look at Niylah. Niylah didn't look happy either.
"The timeline is moving up," Niylah said. "Mother will not be pleased with this news. Hopefully, Nyx will get it back on track."
"What are you talking about," I said coldly.
Niylah smiled gently at me and said, "The territory has to survive until the first day of Summer. If it doesn't, then bad things will happen sooner."
"What bad things," I demanded.
"In time, Echo. Would you like to know why Nyx looks the way she does and why she was in the hospital?"
I shrugged, "That is inconsequential to me."
She chuckled, "It's not. Your manipulation on Lincoln caused her to have a regression. She nearly killed Clarke in the process. Then her nightmares started happening and she was slowly descending into madness. She became violent, couldn't eat or sleep. It became bad enough that her body was shutting down and she was dying. To the point that Mother had to heal her enough so that I could get there in time and reverse the manipulation."
"So, my manipulation worked?"
"Yes, but…"
"But what," I asked curiously.
"Hmm," she said and quicker than I could move, she had her hands on my head and my vision clouded over.
She forced me to see everything that had happened from Nyx's encounter to the point where Niylah left to go see Lincoln. I screamed at the pain she was showing me and I didn't stop until she let me go and I curled up on myself as I sobbed.
"That is what you did, Echo," Niylah said as she took her place on the rock again. "You nearly destroyed the one thing that Mother want's to keep intact. She's worked long and hard to get them to where they are now."
"Why, why show me that," I said through my tears.
"Because you needed to see what happens when you use your power like that, Echo. It never affects just one person. When we use our power, we create ripple effects, both good and bad. What happened eight years ago was supposed to happen to bring us to this point. What happened to Nyx when she encountered Lincoln nearly allowed something to happen that Mother is working very hard to prevent."
"I was only doing what I was ordered to do," I whispered. "It was the only thing that kept me alive."
"Mother knows that," she said kindly. "That is why she is giving you a chance to rectify what you've done. Allow you a chance to finally know what it feels like to be loved. To have a family. A pack. To be free."
I curled my lip in disgust and said, "Love is a weakness. It destroys everything it touches. Families die, so why get attached. A pack? This pack wants to kill me. I'm already free."
"You're not free, Echo," Aiden said. "You're not free of your past. When you are loved. When you are part of a family, will you become free of your past and free to live the life you were meant to have, Echo."
Niylah got up and took the tablet and kneeled beside me. She turned it on and switched the cameras until she found what she was looking for and showed me.
"What do you see here, Echo," she asked.
I looked at the image and said, "People eating dinner."
"What else?"
I looked up at her and sighed as I looked at the image again and replied, "They're laughing and joking. Some of them are conversing with one another. The leaders, I suppose, are having some kind of serious conversation, but they smile when something further happens down the table from them."
"That is a pack and a family. Think of the leaders as the parents. The others are their children. Everyone is loved in that room and everyone would willingly die for one another because of that love. They eat together. They train together. They help one another. They don't shirk their duties. They have fun together when there is time. The parents, the leaders, make sure that they are there for them, teaching, loving, comforting, disciplining upon need. It's not just because they have to, but it is because they want to. To make sure that no one ever feels alone, not even your sister who still mourns you."
I automatically searched for her and saw that she was flirting with a young man sitting next to her and I curled my lips in disgust and snarled.
"Now, why does that particular image make you do that, Echo?"
Startled, I looked up at her, "She's flirting with that boy. She doesn't understand that she'll be hurt if she continues to do so. Nothing good comes out of that kind of relationship. Ever."
"Are we talking about the dating kind of relationship or the sexual kind?"
"Both. Dating leads to sex. Sex is nothing but pain. They use you, beat you, make you feel worthless, they force themselves on you. I don't want my sister to ever go through that."
"Wow," Aiden said, making me stare at him, "That just speaks volumes, Niylah. She's been abused badly. She has a long way to go before she even begins to heal."
"I see that, Aiden," Niylah said and placed the tablet off to the side. "Echo, what you experienced in the Ice Pack is not what goes on here or beyond. Love is not a weakness; it gives a person strength. That is what helped me bring Nyx back. The love that her bondmates have for her was powerful enough to heal her mind. Sometimes there is abuse, but that is the exception and not the rule."
"I don't believe you," I said softly.
"Then let him show you," Niylah said and Aiden joined us on the ground.
I looked up at him fearfully as he slowly raised his hand to my face, make me shrink back to avoid his touch. Niylah held me in place, so I couldn't move. He laid his hand gently on my cheek and I flinched. He did no more than that until I got used to it being there and then he moved his hand gently down until he cupped my chin, thumb running over my lips. I closed my eyes, wishing he'd just get it over with. His hand slid down onto my neck and I prepared myself for him to crush it, but he didn't. Instead, he slowly drew me forward until I felt his lips brush mine and I inhaled his sweet scent of the winter forest. I felt Niylah remove her hands from me and step away. I stiffened a moment, but then he kissed me. It wasn't a crushing, bruising kiss, instead it was gentle. I felt his other hand slide behind my head and his fingers slipped through strands of my hair and held me there as we just kissed. I enjoyed the feeling of his lips on mine and I parted them to deepen the kiss. He obliged and kept it gentle, letting me get a feel for it. The hand that had held my neck slipped downward and I froze. He stopped moving his hand and ended the kiss. I felt the loss immediately, but we waited for my body to relax. When he did, he kissed me in inquiry and I kissed him back. He held his hand still for awhile and then it slid down until it settled on my hip.
It was disorientating to just kiss him and feel him no more than him touching me, holding me gently. No hair pulling, no slaps, no forcing his tongue down my throat. I felt an urge to come closer to him, but I fought it down. I broke the kiss abruptly and scooted far from him and looking at him fearfully. He just sat there and looked at me curiously and a little sadly.
He nodded to himself and said, "That is enough for now, I think."
"Wha, what d-do y-you mean," I stammered out.
He smiled sadly and replied, "It means that I will take this no further. I do not force myself upon someone who does not wish to continue, little one."
"Y-you d-don't?"
"No. Our pack does not do that. We understand that there are boundaries that can never be crossed. To force ourselves on someone is committing a cardinal sin. People are executed if they commit such a sin. We only have sex with people who consent to it. We may chase them, but if they tell us no, we respect their wishes and stop."
I shook my head and said, "I don't understand."
"In time you will. We also do not tolerate abuse of any kind. Emotional, mental, verbal, sexual. Those that are caught doing so are severely punished."
"I'm still not understanding. Why are you telling me this?"
"I wish to show you that our pack is not like the Ice Pack. When it comes to sexual relations or even relationships, we respect each other. Yes, we may fight, but all couples fight. When we do, we talk about it and we listen to one another. There is also something you must understand about our pack; Mother gave us a rather healthy sexual appetite. Why? She has never told us. We actually need to have sex in order to keep our sanity. Which is really a bothersome side effect, if you ask me. So, sex is as normal for us as breathing is. That is why we have laws in place that protect people from raping or abusing each other and why the punishments are severe when someone breaks them."
"The Forest Pack needs to have sex? That's ridiculous," I said in shock.
He grinned and nodded his head earnestly, "And that's what I've told Her time and time again. She just smiles and nods and ignores me. I mean, sometimes a person just wants to have a break. Live in solitude for a couple of months, but no, we have to go and search for a willing partner to take care of the need or we go mad. It really is unfair, especially since we're the only pack that suffers from it."
I felt a smile on my face at his rant, but quickly squashed it down.
"I want to show you something," he said and grabbed the tablet to look through the cameras like Niylah had. "Damn, but there is something that is just as good. Come, take a look."
He held out the tablet and I moved closer and took it from him. He sat down next to me, close but not terribly close. I obediently looked down at the tablet and saw that we were once again looking at the kitchen. It appeared that Nyx and the one they called Dani were cleaning it up.
"Seriously, did you really think her chicken ricotta ravioli is better than mine," Dani asked, as she wiped the counter down.
"Look, Dani, I call it like it is. This one dish was better than yours. You can't be good at everything," Nyx replied as she put dishes away.
"Ya alright, Ms. Perfect," she said sarcastically.
Nyx whipped around and smacked Dani on the head and said, "I'm powerful, not perfect, dumbass. I've never claimed to be perfect. That was Lexa. It's just that I recognize my flaws and either find help or find a way to work around it. Stop being so competitive. We're not kids anymore."
"No you're not," said someone that walked in. "You guys know better and yet you turned this place into a battlefield riddled with food."
"We're sorry, Seph," Nyx said. "We know it got out of hand."
"But you couldn't stop yourselves, could you? You two always do this when you're alone together. You're worse than five year olds. I mean seriously, do we need to set you up with a babysitter in order for you to behave."
Nyx and Dani looked down in shame and they both mumbled, "No."
"And on top of that, you hurt Cora's feelings tossing her food around like that. She worked really hard on it and you fucked it up," Seph said as she stood with her hands on her hips.
"We know that, it's just that when Nyx said her food tasted better than mine, it kinda hurt," Dani said apologetically.
"And did you voice this with your words?"
"Um, no?"
"You've got to use your words, Dani. And you Nyx, you've got to stop egging her on like that."
"I'm sorry, sis. I really am. I just can't seem to help myself," Nyx replied.
"Well, you better learn, Nyx. We don't have time or energy to waste on something stupid like this. Not with the Bear King's plan," she sighed and leaned against the counter. "Stop making me mother you, Nyx. You're my big sister and yet when you continue like this, I feel like I'm the grown up here, not you. You're 28 not 8."
"I promise, I'll try to do better, Seph. I know you've had to pick up my slack and I'm really sorry that you've had that much responsibility. Can I at least tell you that I'm proud of the way you've handled yourself?"
"Yes and thank you. That really does mean a lot coming from you."
"Good," she said and then swept her arm out to show off the kitchen, "Does this meet your approval, Second?"
Seph walked around with her hands clasped behind her back as if she was doing a military inspection. I sniggered when I watched her wipe a finger across the table and look at it before she crouched down and looked underneath. When she had finished her inspection, she gave a nod to them and they relaxed completely.
"So, we can go wash up now," Dani asked hopefully.
"You still need to apologize to Cora," Seph said sternly.
"Couldn't that wait until after we clean ourselves first?"
"No can do, Dani. She reports to the gate in twenty."
"Shit," Dani said and looked at Nyx forlornly.
Nyx held up her hands and said, "Nope. Sephy set the schedule and what she says goes."
"Fine," Dani grumbled. "Where's Cora?"
Cora came into the room with her head down and her hands clasped in front of her, like she wished that she wasn't there.
"Cora," Nyx said softly. "Can you please join us at the table. We want to apologize for ruining your meal."
Cora glanced up at Nyx in surprise and shook her head, "It's alright, Stokripa. I shouldn't have cooked tonight."
Nyx walked over to her and lifted her chin and said, "Don't call me that, Cora. I'm just Nyx. And it's not alright. You worked really hard at preparing this meal and we wasted it like children. Please sit down."
Nyx let go of her chin and they walked over to the table and sat down and Dani joined them.
"Cora, I'm sorry," Dani said. "I got upset when Nyx said that it tasted better than mine and I acted like I always do. I threw your food at her which is what started it. I was jealous that someone did better than me. I'm competitive by nature and I let that control my actions. From the little bit I did eat, I have to agree that it tasted better than mine."
Cora looked at Dani surprised and said, "It was?"
Dani smiled at her and said, "It was. I'm just sorry that no one else got to have a chance to know that."
"But why did you throw it back at her," she asked Nyx.
Nyx blushed and said, "You know that Lexa, Dani, and I grew up together, right?"
She nodded.
"Well, the truth is that when Dani and I are left alone to our own devices we tend to revert back to being children. So, when Dani threw the food at me, I felt the need to repay her in kind. Then it got out of hand and you saw the mess we made. I'm sorry that we did that. Trust me when I tell you that neither one of us planned it. We didn't do it on purpose nor were we trying to hurt you. It was just us being dumb."
"Is that why Seph scolded you," she asked with a small grin on her face.
Nyx chuckled and said, "Yes. That's why we were scolded. Since neither of our mom's are here to scold, Seph took it upon herself to do so. Which I am sorry for as well. We shouldn't have acted that way."
"Can you forgive us," Dani asked.
"Can you teach me how to cook, so I can become as good as you," she asked.
Dani grinned and held out her hand and said, "Deal, but you've got teach me what you did to the recipe to make it taste better than mine."
Cora shook her hand and replied, "Deal and you're forgiven."
Dani whooped and grinned widely making Cora laugh and Nyx shake her head.
"Cora," Nyx said, making her attention turn back to her, "there's something else I'd like to talk to you about. It's serious, okay?"
She nodded and her face took on a look of seriousness.
"I know that you were raised in the Western border by the Klines," she said softly and Cora's face fell. "I know that they've been arrested for treason along with many others."
"You're not going to arrest me either, because I had nothing to do with that," Cora defended herself, and I felt the urge to protect her rise.
Nyx shook her head and said, "No. We're not. We know you had nothing to do with that. I have a proposal for you and I hope you accept it."
"What is it?"
"We, Seph and I, both know that you lost your family when you tried to cross the border 15 and a half years ago. Now, the family that raised you since you were two have been taken out of your life, leaving you with no family. I was wondering if you would like to join our family? Become an Allistar."
"Why? You guys are legends. I'm not nearly as powerful as you are," Cora said and rocked back in her chair.
Sephy came to stand behind her chair and laid her hands gently on her shoulders, making her look up at her.
"Power has nothing to do about being an Allistar, Cora. It's our heart and determination to keep our pack safe that is the foundation of being an Allistar. You've shown that countless times and never complain or fuss or whine."
"We're not infallible as you can clearly notice," Nyx said with a grin. "You call us legends, but we really aren't. What you see is the work we've put ourselves through in order to be at our best and strongest. We stumble, we fall, we nearly kill ourselves sometimes, but we always get back up. It has a little bit to do with training, but it's mostly because it's something we want to do. We want to protect the weaker and want nothing more than to keep our people safe. We know you want to do the same things."
"We know that you want to become a Gate Commander to prevent what happened to your family from ever happening again and that is a noble cause. We'd be honored if you would become part of our family, Cora. Hell, you'd probably be a better sister than Nyx," she finished with a grin.
"Hey, I take exception to that," Nyx cried out. "I just keep forgetting that you're not that 8 year old little girl anymore. I mean cut me some slack, would ya."
"Maybe I would if you didn't act like an 8 year old half the time."
"I do not."
"You're acting like one right now."
"I am…shit, I am. Fuck. This is all Dani's fault," she said pointing at Dani.
"Don't drag me into this. I'm sitting over here behaving myself," Dani said.
Nyx stuck out her tongue at Dani and Seph made a grab for it but missed.
Seph sighed and looked down at Cora, "Do you see what I mean. She's horrible."
Cora laughed and replied, "Horrible is not the right word. Tiresome."
"You're right, she is exhausting to keep an eye on. Keep's trying to die on me and leave, the bitch."
"I'm not trying to die, Seph. I swear the world is trying to kill me. The leaving part may or may not happen. I still haven't decided yet."
"Oh, come on, Nyx. Ya gotta stay," Dani said, clearly exasperated.
"Ugh, I am not having this argument again," Nyx said annoyed and I could tell that it was clearly a sore subject. I wondered why she wouldn't want to stay.
"Anyway, Cora," Seph said. "As we were saying before I got distracted. You have shown us that you have all the qualities an Allistar has, but that's not the only reason. We like you. And I love you like a sister. Neither one of us want to see you grow up alone without a family. And we have a really big family."
"Wait. You do," Cora said confused.
Nyx laughed and said, "We do, but it's not just the Allistars. We have cousins and aunties and uncles on both sides of the family still. Then you throw in the Devereuxs and the Rendons. It's quite a large family."
"Why do you count them?"
"Our families are tied irrevocably to one another. It's only been made stronger because of the bond that Lexa, Dani, and I have."
"You're bondmates," Cora said shocked.
Dani chuckled and said, "Yes, we are. Plus Clarke and the woman with the purple buggy, Scarlett."
"And you guys are sleeping with one another? Wouldn't that be like sleeping with your own sister?"
"Ew. That's just gross."
"No. It's not, but I can see where you get the idea," Nyx said with a grin. "In our case, it's like marrying into a family, but it does not make us kissing cousins or anything like that. It's how bonds work. Sex is the trigger that strengthens the bonds that we feel when we first see one another. That's how come Clarke and Scarlett are also our bondmates."
"So, large family, yada, yada, yada. We love you, yada, yada, yada. You're a good person yada, yada, yada. Will you honor us by becoming our sister," Seph said, giving Nyx and Dani a look.
"With all the yada, yada, yada's, it's hard to resist," Cora said, chuckling. "Can I think about it?"
"Please do," Nyx said, "and we want you to know that Mom already approves of you. She likes you."
"Wait, your mom likes me, too?"
"Yes," Seph replied. "I had a long talk with her about you and even though she's never met you, she'd like you to be part of the family."
"Do you still need to think about it," Dani teased. "But, in all seriousness, the Allistars aren't the only family that would like to adopt you, Cora. My family, the Devereuxs, and the Griffins are also offering. There is something about you that says you're important. Probably Mother Earth is niggling in our ears or something. If you say no, it won't hurt our feelings. Instead, you'll just gain mentors."
Cora stood up and backed away from them in confused shock, "Why would you all want me? I'm nobody really. I'm just trying to learn my job. I'm a subpar water mage. I wasn't even born in the pack. Why would four powerful families want me?"
The three of them looked at one another, having a silent conversation, and then nodded. They waited in silence for a few minutes and then someone else entered the room.
"That's Octavia Blake, the Manassas Pakstoka," Gustus whispered in my ear.
"What's up," Octavia said as she looked around the room.
"We need your water," Seph said. "We'd like to show Cora why our families want to adopt her."
"Seriously, you guys want to adopt her?"
"Yes, unless you'd like to throw your hat in the ring?"
"That's not really up to me to decide. I'd have to talk to Bellamy about it. If anything, I'd actually like Cora to join my pack. She's proven to be very resourceful, strong, fierce, kind, capable person while she's been here. Qualities I want in my pack."
"Seriously," Cora all but shrieked.
Octavia walked over to her and hugged her, "Yes. I'm serious. I may be new to this gig, but I know the kind of leadership I want underneath me. You have that in you. You can be a leader. Maybe not at the level we are, but you already command respect from your fellow guard members. They listen to you and think about what you've said. Even you're C.O. says that you have it in you to lead a team or a command of your own. So, I want to snatch you up before one of the other packs do."
Before Cora could say anything, Clarke walked into the room and walked over to Nyx, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
"Nate said you wanted to see me," Clarke said.
"Yeah," Nyx said, wrapping an arm around Clarke's waist. "We've told Cora that our families would like to adopt her. Octavia just asked her to join her pack. She's having a hard time understanding why. Apparently, it's not enough for her."
Clarke looked up at Cora and said calmly, "Cora, there is a reason why beyond what they've told you. How much do you believe Mother Earth interacts with the weres?"
"I don't know," Cora replied. "I've never really thought about it."
Clarke nodded and replied, "I can understand that. Do you believe that Mother Earth even exists?"
"Of course, I do," Cora said shocked that she'd ever be asked that question.
Clarke chuckled, "Gotcha. I had to ask because my bondmates and I have been given a higher purpose by Mother Earth. All of this isn't just random happenstance. When we have the chance we'll explain it more in-depth, but for right now, let's just say that you're involved in whatever is happening. Those qualities that they've told you are really your qualities. They're not just saying it to pump you up to accept an adoption. You're special regardless of the fact that you're powers are subpar, which is your word not ours, or that you were born Ice Pack."
"You've got to be shitting me?!"
"I wish it weren't so, but it's the truth," Dani said almost sadly. "A five way bond has never been recorded in our history. A life bond between two of us is extremely rare. All of us are extremely powerful, both in leadership and powers. The shit that's happened to Nyx was meant to happen. The shit that's led us here was all meant to happen. We may not know what's coming our way, but we do know that you're part of it. There's also another person that's involved, but we haven't discovered who that is yet."
"What we'd like to do, if you're game," Nyx said soothingly, "is show you why you're important. But just to let you know, what you will see and experience is going to confuse the fuck out of you and probably terrify you."
"So, are you up for a little show and tell," Sephy asked.
"You're not going to hurt me, are you," Cora said fearfully making my hackles raise.
"It shouldn't," Nyx said. "But if it does, just tell us to stop and we will."
Cora seemed to take a shuddering breath and then said, "I'm game."
"Thank you," she replied and then looked over at Seph. "Could you remove the inhibitor please."
"Inhibitor? What the hell is that," I thought to myself out loud.
"A device that shuts down the powers of a person wearing it. Nyx has it on until she feels comfortable enough to begin using her powers again," Aiden answered me quietly.
I watched as Clarke and Dani stood up and backed a way a bit as Seph reached behind Nyx's ear and removed something. Everyone gasped and Nyx seemed to adjust herself as her powers returned.
Nyx stood up and faced Cora and said, "Trust me that I'm not doing this to hurt you in any way."
"Okay," Cora said quietly and centered herself.
Suddenly, fire sprang out around Cora and I screamed in horror. She was killing her. But then, I noticed in shock as Cora was still standing and looking about her in surprise.
"Step out, Cora," Nyx said and she did and was completely fine.
"I don't…," Cora said and then a column of stone suddenly encased her.
"Step sideways to your right, Cora."
She did and once more was completely unfazed. The fire went out and the column of stone receded back into the ground.
"How are you feeling," Clarke asked.
"Completely fine," Cora replied and looked at her confused. "How?"
Before anyone could answer her, she was surrounded by metal.
"Cora is it solid or hollow," Nyx asked.
I could hear the muffled reply as she said, "Solid."
"Then step back to your left."
She did and she looked down at herself in amazement. The metal disappeared and Nyx looked over at her sister.
Seph nodded and suddenly a chair went flying for Cora. Instinctively, she crouched down to protect herself, but Sephy adjusted the aim and the chair went sailing right through Cora and splintered apart on the wall behind her. Cora peeked out from her ball and slowly stood up.
"Look behind you," Seph said, and she did.
Cora looked at the broken chair and then stared hard at Seph, who just shrugged.
"It went through you."
"Dani," Nyx said. "You're up."
"You know how hard it is to see wind, what do you expect me to do," Dani said, grumbling.
Nyx sighed, "Just give the damn air color, idiot, so that we can all see it."
Dani's mouth opened up into a silent 'O' and then blushed, "Forgot I could do that."
"Then how the hell can you see your own damn wards?"
"Well, excuse me for forgetting. Wards are different from air."
"No, they're not. They are solid air, numbskull. Didn't you read the damn book?"
"I had other things on my mind."
"Guys, focus," Clarke reprimanded them.
"Sorry," they both said and then Dani stared hard at Cora.
First she tried to move Cora with strong enough wind that Octavia was blasted sideways and skidded across the room. Octavia scowled at Dani but moved out of the way and closer to Clarke, who did a quick inspection to make sure she wasn't hurt. Cora on the other hand was completely unfazed.
Next, Dani seemed to be trying to suck the air out of Cora's lungs, but she was only successful in pulling a little bit out, like an exhale. Dani stepped back and was breathing hard.
"Fuck," Dani said. "That damn near drained me."
"Are you okay," Cora asked worriedly.
Dani took a deep breath and straightened herself up, "Yeah, I'll be right as rain."
Nyx looked over at Octavia and said, "Wanna go next?"
"Sure," she replied shrugging.
A column of water shot up from the ground and without being asked she stepped to the side. She was completely dry.
"Step back into the water column, please," Nyx asked.
She did and then Nyx asked Octavia, "Freeze it."
It froze and then Cora stepped out of it, again completely unfazed.
"Anything else, Nyx," Octavia asked.
"Um, how about a big snowball?"
Octavia nodded and a huge ball of snow appeared between her hands, when she felt it was big enough, she shoved it at Cora and watched as it sailed through her and splattered the wall behind her.
There was a small grin on Cora's face when she looked back at the snow covered wall.
"I guess, it's my turn," Clarke said as she stood next to Nyx.
With a look of concentration, Clarke sent down a bolt of lightning down from the ceiling aimed directly at Cora. It hit her and nothing happened. Then there were a half a dozen strikes and still nothing. Then Clarke held out her hand and tried to do something, but it never happened. When she stopped, she kind of wilted, but Nyx caught her and led her to a chair to sit down.
Everyone cleaned up the mess and Cora asked, "Okay, what just happened?"
"Sit please," Nyx asked.
Cora joined them at the table and waited expectantly.
"You could say that Mother Earth visited me in a dream earlier today," Nyx said. "In that conversation she told me that you, Cora, were different from any Apex out there. That no power could touch or harm you in anyway, shape, or form. Because of this power, you needed to be protected and taught everything that we all know. She's the one that suggested that one of our families outright adopt you. That's what Clarke meant by there being another reason behind our offer. Our families have the strongest powers. If we couldn't hurt you, it means that no one can, ever."
"But, I've been knocked on my ass and hurt by other people's powers, so how is that possible," Cora asked.
"Because you believed that it was supposed to be that way. When you trusted me to not hurt you, you ignored the fact that what we did could hurt or even kill you. You were supposed to be on fire, encased in earth and metal. The chair should have hit you and Sephy should have been able to pick you up. The wind should have done the same thing as what happened to Octavia and Dani should have been able to draw the breath from your lungs. You should have drowned, been frozen solid, or hit by the snowball and landed against the wall. Lastly, you should have been electrocuted and Clarke should have been able to draw the electric currents in your body and harvest it in the palm of her hand. None of those things happened, Cora, and we were trying our best to do that to you."
"So, you were actually trying to kill me?"
"Will you be mad if I say that the answer was yes?"
"I am mad, but I think that if anything had happened to me you would've been able to heal me."
"True."
"Nyx, you're starting to surge again," Clarke said.
Sephy got up quickly and replaced the inhibitor on Nyx and everyone relaxed, but Nyx seemed to deflate a bit.
"Ugh, I've really got to get control of this," Nyx replied, clearly annoyed.
"Well, you could always tell yourself that you're not bottomless."
"That's one way, but I have to learn how to deal with it as being bottomless."
"You'll get there, sweetheart," Clarke said and kissed her.
"Thanks."
"Wait, what do you mean bottomless," Cora asked.
They all looked at one another and Clarke shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but we can't tell you."
"Pack secret," Dani said.
"Dammit," Cora said, leaning abruptly back in her chair and crossing her arms across her chest.
"Sorry, Cora," Sephy said. "It's just the way things are sometimes."
"I know, but you've all seen why I'm different, so why can't you share."
"Well, you're a pack secret, too, Cora," Nyx said. "No one outside this room, with the exception of Lexa and a few others, can ever know what you can do."
"Yeah, you'll have to go back to thinking that shit can hurt you," Dani said softly.
"Seriously?"
Dani nodded.
"Fine," Cora said and then leaned forward and put her elbows on the table, "So, let me get this straight. Things were set in motion a long time ago that results in an endgame that no one knows about. You and your bondmates, Nyx, are at the center of it. I and along with one other unknown person are also involved in whatever is happening. Because of this power, the best way to protect me is to be adopted into one of your families. And Octavia's invitation to join her pack is a bonus."
"Pretty much," Nyx said. "The decision is yours to make, Cora. If you decline, we become your protectors and mentors. Once this is all over, you can do whatever it is you want to do. No ties, no pressure."
"You and Nyx are our most important pack secrets, Cora," Dani said. "We can't afford to lose either of you."
"But Lexa banished Nyx," Cora said confused. "Why would you do that if she's a pack secret?"
"Because I killed a lot of people including Lexa's younger sisters and my older brother, Cora," Nyx said. "Lexa was manipulated into thinking that it was a power grab and banished me instead of executing me. For eight years, I had to hide the fact that I have five powers so the Coalition couldn't get their hands on me. If word ever got out about what you can do, the Coalition would be after you, too."
"It was a mistake that has now been rectified," Dani said. "It just took eight years and multiple assassination attempts to rectify it."
"People were trying to kill you? Was it because of what happened eight years ago," Cora asked.
"Yes and no. A strong telepath, placed manipulations on the survivors of the attack to make sure that if I did survive, there would be different ways to kill me. To keep me from being Second and allow the Ice Pack to spy on de Pakstoka and the pack," Nyx said.
"But that's been stopped, right?"
"For now. Ice Pack is making a move again and we have to stop it before it escalates into a war."
"Which would bring in the Coalition," she replied glumly.
"Right and everything we've worked for and kept hidden will be gone."
"If I decide that I want to be adopted, what would happen besides becoming better protected?"
"Simple enough. We teach you everything we know and I do mean everything. We'll teach you the duties of the family that adopts you. You'll be trained to become a leader of your own command, council leader, and a pack leader," Nyx said. "If you don't, we can't teach you about the head pack leadership and the history of that leadership. We'll still teach you leadership and train you until you become our equal. You just won't necessarily have the clout our names would bring you."
"Would your offer still stand, Octavia?"
"Yes, It's an open invitation that you can accept or decline at any time," Octavia said with a smile.
"If I'm adopted into one of your families does that place me into the direct line of succession?"
"Yes, it does," Nyx answered. "In my family, you'd become my successor. Seph can't because she's been trained to become the Second of the Southern Pack. You'd be Dani's successor since she has no siblings. Lexa's is the same. There is a caveat, though. If anyone of us decide to have a child, that child is automatically our successor since it's hereditary. Even Clarke's child would be up to become de Pakstoka."
"Whoa, wait a minute," Clarke said, completely blown away at the revelation. "What do you mean if I have a child they would be in line to become de Pakstoka?"
"You're lifemated to Lexa, Clarke," Nyx explained gently. "When the two of you eventually claim one another that places you in direct line to become de Pakstoka. Any children you have would be eligible alongside any of Lexa's if she decides to have one. Of course, her children would have first dibs."
Clarke slumped and laid her head over her arms and said, "Can I just cancel the life bond and go back to a regular bond?"
"No, sweetheart," Dani said gently. "Doesn't work that way. Once a life bond is made it's unbreakable just like a regular bond. It'd still happen if you claimed one of us."
She propped her chin on her arms and glared at Dani, "I hate you."
Dani laughed and Nyx hugged her.
"It's just the way the world is, love," Nyx said, trying to comfort her. "This is what happens when you're stuck in a bunker for 83 years. You learn shit that just gives you a complete mind fuck."
"Fucking stupid world," Clarke grumbled, eliciting more laughs and a snicker from me.
"Okay," Cora said. "Now, I really need time to think about this. Clarke's not the only one getting her mind fucked. Do I have a time limit?"
"Unfortunately, yes. You have two weeks to decide," Nyx said, sobering up. "In two weeks, we'll either know shit is about to hit the fan or we'll have staved off the current situation."
"Two weeks. I can live with that," Cora said. "Do I need to be aware of anything else?"
"Nope. You'll learn more once you decide. Until then, take your time and figure out what you really want. We'll be here when you need us."
"Thank you," she said and got up to leave.
Octavia swung an arm around her shoulders and they left together talking amongst themselves.
The image went black and Aiden took the tablet away. I stared at the spot it had been for awhile as I absorbed everything that had just happened.
"Mind blowing, wasn't it," he asked.
"That is putting it mildly," I said as I turned to look at him. "It has to be a mind manipulation. It has to be. They're only tricking her to believe that she's invulnerable to powers. They want to use her, not adopt her."
"Why would they do that," Gustus asked curiously.
"They must know that she's my sister. They're going to use her against me," I said determined to make that the case.
"Echo, they don't know the two of you are related," Gustus said gently. "They think, as she does, that her family was killed when you were attacked. What you just witnessed was real. They were really trying to harm her."
"You mean kill her," I snarled.
"You're right, but if Cora had shown any signs of discomfort or pain, Nyx would have halted immediately and would have healed her."
"There were five people in the room, but seven powers were used on her," I said thinking out loud. "Where'd the other two powers come from and you said that Nyx could have healed her?"
"Nyx has command of five powers. You saw three of them. She allowed her sister to use her telekinesis even though she also possesses that power."
I thought quickly and came to a sudden realization, "If what you say is true, the night we fought, she used her powers to open up the ground and rain fire on everyone."
Gustus nodded, "She also built the bombs herself that she then telekinetically exploded."
"But, that's impossible. How?"
"Mother, of course," Aiden said sighing. "Those that she has a hand in creating are usually the most powerful of their kind. Nyx, your sister, you, my sister, Clarke, Lexa, and Dani. She's had a hand in all of them."
"Me?"
"Your telepathic ability is off the charts, Echo. It's the reason why those mind manipulations you performed eight years ago held for this long and still had a huge impact."
"Why have you told me all of this? With the information that I now have, I could easily go to either the Ice Pack or the Coalition and destroy the Forest Pack," I asked, trying to gauge him better.
"The better question to ask is why haven't you?"
That stumped me now that I heard the question spoken out loud. Even with just knowing that there was a large community of humans living in the middle of Forest Pack and that Lexa knows about it, why hadn't I? Bringing this information to the right people could destroy the Forest Pack. They have been a bane over the entirety of my life, so why was I hesitating to bring them down? I mean, that is what I had been trying to do when I was employed by the Bear King. The answer was simple, I don't know why.
"I don't know," I answered truthfully.
His face brightened and he leaned over quickly and kissed the tip of my nose before I could react. I sat there stunned until I started to feel sleepily. I looked at him in disbelief until my eyes closed and I fell into a deep sleep.
